By Christopher Curtin
I left my house at about 4:00 PM on March 23 and was soon en route to Mashpee High School after I stop for coffee and arrive around 4:15 to help the bands set up chairs, stands, instruments and miscellaneous equipment for the school district's annual 'Music in our Schools Month' concert, held every year in March. There are several immediately discernable differences that make this concert different from any others in the school district, turning it into a special event: the MIOSM Concert is, for one thing, held in the gymnasium, as opposed to an auditorium—more on that later. The central selling point is, however, that MIOSM features students from every musical group from the Quashnet (3rd-6th grades) on up (MMHS: 7th-12th grades), for a total of by my count thirteen to be named below in order of appearance/performance.
I left my house at about 4:00 PM on March 23 and was soon en route to Mashpee High School after I stop for coffee and arrive around 4:15 to help the bands set up chairs, stands, instruments and miscellaneous equipment for the school district's annual 'Music in our Schools Month' concert, held every year in March. There are several immediately discernable differences that make this concert different from any others in the school district, turning it into a special event: the MIOSM Concert is, for one thing, held in the gymnasium, as opposed to an auditorium—more on that later. The central selling point is, however, that MIOSM features students from every musical group from the Quashnet (3rd-6th grades) on up (MMHS: 7th-12th grades), for a total of by my count thirteen to be named below in order of appearance/performance.
I arrive at the High School at 4:15 or thereabout to help set up as I'm in the Jazz Band and have nothing to do this afternoon anyway. Only a few people are here already, and those that are were already here for sports or play rehearsals or something; I'm early. Tradition sort of mandates that we (the Jazz Band) dress in semi-formal all black (the whole shebang, really: collared/button-down shirt, dress pants, belt, and dress shoes [specifically directed is 'No Jeans, No Sneakers] plus a white tie, but if the tie's not white it isn't the end of the world; at least for the men anyway), and I usually go to the bare minimum of it: I at least wear the shirt and a tie of a color that isn't white but am always wearing the jeans and sneakers I wore that day (both vestments are black), and no one's really said anything about it other than me. However, this time, I'm just wearing a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black sneakers. My t-shirt is tucked into my jeans, I'm wearing a belt and am a dork. No one said anything this time either.
It doesn't take that long to set up, really. I fetch two timpanis (which fun fact, do not fit through traditional gymnasium-ingress doors, you know the ones with that giant metal bar down the middle, so I wheeled it around for a little bit, sort of going on a vision quest in the hallways immediately surrounding the gym when I run into MMHS Principal Mark Balestracci, who has also shown up early, apparently). We exchange the typical pleasantries, which begins on his part with just the word 'Curtin'. I then immediately learn that those big metal bars in the middle of gymnasium doors come out with just the pull of a pin, so my vision quest was all for naught (I didn't even meet my Spirit Guide), and all I really had to do was roll the thing like fifteen feet.
Let's say this is at like 4:45, I should have been keeping track: setup is basically done, the only thing left to bring into the gym is the bass guitar and its associated amplifier (this big monster of a thing that's difficult to move; a few years ago a few students broke the wheels off it somehow albeit accidentally), which I'm going to have to wait on for a while, since they’re currently part of the Orchestral Ensemble playing in the pit for the school's spring production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, and there are dress rehearsals going on right now (while I go and check to see if the amp is still in use I run into Celia Krefter, one of the two actors playing the titular character in the play [the other being Dan Reilly] currently in her entire Wonka get-up. She's also a saxophonist in the Jazz Band. I admit to being disappointed when she showed up to the actual concert dressed as something other than Willy Wonka, since, come on, that would have been cool). At this point, since the amp is currently occupied, I am now milling about in the cafeteria with a few members of the Jazz Band, from one of whom I steal a Ziploc bag full of Honey Nut Cheerios, and later his house key (inside joke; long story), and later his backpack and clothes while he's changing into semi-formal wear (I was just bored that time). Most of the band and chorus members are here now, moving about through the cafeteria and gymnasium with various equipment and instruments, but mostly confining themselves from what I can tell to the C-wing, where the band and choral rooms are.
Rehearsals start at 5:40 or so, which just involves playing through the setlist in a sort of truncated fashion; it's weird because at this point a lot of family members/students have shown up and situated themselves in the audience, so they're kind of seeing the show twice. The bass amp and guitar still need retrieval, and luckily rehearsals have concluded by this point.
The saga of retrieving a large Fender Bass Amplifier as someone who does not go to the gym is as follows: I sort of have to finagle the thing out of the orchestra pit, having to navigate a piano, a harp (just a naked piano, in my opinion), and several lights, stands, and wires all the while. Again, the amplifier had wheels in a former life, but no longer does; it takes a bit of maneuvering to get it onto the two-wheeler dolly that's been relegated to the moving of this one specific amplifier, and I'm unsure of exactly how I'm supposed to put it on, or even lift the thing because I need to work out but whatever; basically at this point, the thing is sidelong on the dolly and I'm trying to move it up a the slight incline that typically inhabits auditoriums, and here's the thing: moving a heavy object perched precariously upon a wheeled object up a slight incline is essentially Sisyphean; plus one of the dolly's wheels has decided that it isn't beholden to the will of mere Man and decides to pull to the left like a shopping cart, oh for God's sake. It takes about four adjustments, getting caught on the auditorium seating, dropping the amp on my foot, and nearly tripping a poor Oompa Loompa to get the thing up the ramp, at which point I am mercifully relieved by the Concert Band bass player, who takes the thing and wheels it to the gym on the condition I get the doors for him.
5:45ish: Slightly dissonant rehearsals.
6:30: There are low murmurs coming from the audience before everything starts; they subside when Superintendent Patricia Deboer opens ceremonies, commenting on the temperature outside, thanking everyone for coming; the usual affair, and etc. She introduces the music teachers individually, all of whom get raucous and much deserved cheers. The show opens with Dan Reilly, Willy Wonka 50% of the time, opens singing 'Pure Imagination', from the aforementioned spring production, with MMHS Chorus teacher Liesel Keller playing piano (fun fact: Keller from what I've seen has a near supernatural ability to turn pages of music whilst playing piano without even stuttering musically; I don't think I've seen anyone else who can do that that seamlessly, but then again I don't often observe page-turning). Celia Krefter, Willy Wonka the Other 50% of the time, then joins in for 'The Golden Age of Chocolate' and the two Wonkas are then joined by dancing Oompa Loompas on behalf of the Quashnet School (they aren't in costume or orange, tragically).
Immediately following the Chocolate-based Opening Ceremonies, the Quashnet choral groups perform, followed by the string ensemble from the same school; the Quashnet bands then play together, conducted by Quashnet music teacher Ms. Hill and another representative of the Quashnet School Music Dept. They're now playing “I've Been Working on the Railroad,” complete with onomatopoeic ch ch ch ch CHOO CHOO's.
The gym is brightly lit, almost painfully so, and is sort of weird (not bad, just weird) acoustically, at least for concert music, but the gym was the only available space to fit several hundred armed-with-violins children. The audience is situated on two sets of bleachers, one set on the northern wall facing the bands' fronts, the other on the opposite wall facing their/our backs. Half of the south bleachers are occupied by chorus groups. Another note: the Administration plus some teachers are now lining the exits like government agents or something; slightly off putting. My slightly-off-put mood is assuaged somewhat when the Middle School Concert Band plays the titular march (composed by Elmer Bernstein) from the 1963 WWII film “The Great Escape” starring (sing it now) Steve McQueen. The percussion sounds good, but up close is moderately threatening. High School Band, Jazz Band, Middle School Jazz Band, and Strings teacher Andy Troyanos gets on the mic and thanks everyone for coming. Keller then introduces the Middle School Chorus, performing a song called “May it Be”; she is again on keys.
All the bands are decked out in white and black with the exception of the HS Jazz Band, dressed in all black.
The Middle School Jazz Band plays “Cold Sweat” by James Brown (close to the composition's 50th anniversary, fact fans). Middle Schooler Morgan Peters is on drums and his father (one of the teachers of the MSJB and introduced rather enigmatically as only Mr. Peters) is on vocals. The two are clearly the stars of the piece, which is easily the highlight of the night. Mr. Troyanos was on guitar and was, as he would say, “burning up the frets” for this piece. He and bass player David McKelvey are also standouts. There are four solos during the piece (at least that I heard; I was only about ten feet away from the percussion section), all of which were phenomenal: a trumpet solo, a sax solo, a keyboard solo (I say solo; there are two players playing one keyboard in tandem, which was fun to watch); finally came Morgan Peters's drum solo. Cheers erupted for him everywhere in the immediate area, the audience, and the other bands. He gets out of his seat and circles the set, playing all the while, a man possessed, I'm pretty sure. Frankly incredible. The roof has been blown off and is not replaced until the chamber choirs perform (that's not a criticism, the piece were just somber/low-key, which as far as I know chamber choir pieces are supposed to be).
Immediately following the piece, Morgan has a sort of fan club circling him as he moves towards the exit, shaking people's hands, accepting thanks, what have you. I went to compliment Morgan on his solo after the piece and went to shake his hand, but he went for that clasp-hands-like-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-and-Carl-Weathers-in-Predator-and-go-in-and-pat-your-back thing; I'm both confused and caucasian. I've made that mistake before but never in front of an audience of hundreds of people.
Chamber Choir performs now; Keller again on keys.
Concert band plays a piece called “Royal Celebration,” which was immensely enjoyable.
The High School Chamber Choir goes next, and they're very good; Keller's really got a monopoly on tonight's piano playing. The 7th-11th grades String Ensemble plays a song in I want to say G Minor, though don't quote me on that one.
Keller announces the HS a capella band the Mashcapellas. The performance itself is really good (though the less I say about my thoughts on the name the better). They perform a doo-wop song titled 'I Didn't Catch the Name, Someone was Talking in my Ear.' There are a lot of Shooby Doo Wops. It's “Life Could Be a Dream,” I think I recognize it. I listen to a lot of doo-wop, about which don't ask.
After a bit of a false start (my fault, sorry) the HS Jazz Band plays an arrangement of Stevie Wonder's “I Wish.” Yours truly plays a somewhat taxing bass guitar line throughout (the musculature of both my hands have yet to forgive me); the piece is arranged by Mike Tomaro, and if you've never heard of him, he's hit the big time as far as arrangements for High School Jazz Band pieces is concerned, believe you me. Senior Sarah George takes a solo on Baritone Sax; Sophomore Elise Carroll takes a Trombone solo.
The finale is every single group playing a set of frankly bangin' Hebrew Spirituals. Austin Gray, senior and keyboard player for the Jazz Band said of the concert: "Damn, that was poppin'." During the finale, I can swear I saw members that are in both Band and Chorus sprint from one end to the other to fulfill their latter role, but maybe I just imagined that; there were jokes about it earlier, which may have fueled a possible fever dream on my part. Right as the finale closes, in the short pause between end of piece and audience applause, a stroller-bound child screams 'YEAAAHHHHHHH.' Us too, buddy.
As we all walk out, the trumpet section stays in place and plays “Tequila.” One of them, I'm pretty sure, is actually slightly further away from the rest and playing the Jurassic Park theme song.
All in all, I think the whole thing was fantastic, but I was part of the whole thing. I have no complaints or regrets besides a spilled bag of Honey Nut Cheerios, the fact that Subway does not deliver, a stolen house key (the owner of which never took back until the next day, strangely), and the fact that Dayquil stops any and all efficacy just short of allowing you to power through a head cold long enough for you to both help set-up for and perform in a concert and report on the whole ball of wax for a school newspaper.
It doesn't take that long to set up, really. I fetch two timpanis (which fun fact, do not fit through traditional gymnasium-ingress doors, you know the ones with that giant metal bar down the middle, so I wheeled it around for a little bit, sort of going on a vision quest in the hallways immediately surrounding the gym when I run into MMHS Principal Mark Balestracci, who has also shown up early, apparently). We exchange the typical pleasantries, which begins on his part with just the word 'Curtin'. I then immediately learn that those big metal bars in the middle of gymnasium doors come out with just the pull of a pin, so my vision quest was all for naught (I didn't even meet my Spirit Guide), and all I really had to do was roll the thing like fifteen feet.
Let's say this is at like 4:45, I should have been keeping track: setup is basically done, the only thing left to bring into the gym is the bass guitar and its associated amplifier (this big monster of a thing that's difficult to move; a few years ago a few students broke the wheels off it somehow albeit accidentally), which I'm going to have to wait on for a while, since they’re currently part of the Orchestral Ensemble playing in the pit for the school's spring production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory, and there are dress rehearsals going on right now (while I go and check to see if the amp is still in use I run into Celia Krefter, one of the two actors playing the titular character in the play [the other being Dan Reilly] currently in her entire Wonka get-up. She's also a saxophonist in the Jazz Band. I admit to being disappointed when she showed up to the actual concert dressed as something other than Willy Wonka, since, come on, that would have been cool). At this point, since the amp is currently occupied, I am now milling about in the cafeteria with a few members of the Jazz Band, from one of whom I steal a Ziploc bag full of Honey Nut Cheerios, and later his house key (inside joke; long story), and later his backpack and clothes while he's changing into semi-formal wear (I was just bored that time). Most of the band and chorus members are here now, moving about through the cafeteria and gymnasium with various equipment and instruments, but mostly confining themselves from what I can tell to the C-wing, where the band and choral rooms are.
Rehearsals start at 5:40 or so, which just involves playing through the setlist in a sort of truncated fashion; it's weird because at this point a lot of family members/students have shown up and situated themselves in the audience, so they're kind of seeing the show twice. The bass amp and guitar still need retrieval, and luckily rehearsals have concluded by this point.
The saga of retrieving a large Fender Bass Amplifier as someone who does not go to the gym is as follows: I sort of have to finagle the thing out of the orchestra pit, having to navigate a piano, a harp (just a naked piano, in my opinion), and several lights, stands, and wires all the while. Again, the amplifier had wheels in a former life, but no longer does; it takes a bit of maneuvering to get it onto the two-wheeler dolly that's been relegated to the moving of this one specific amplifier, and I'm unsure of exactly how I'm supposed to put it on, or even lift the thing because I need to work out but whatever; basically at this point, the thing is sidelong on the dolly and I'm trying to move it up a the slight incline that typically inhabits auditoriums, and here's the thing: moving a heavy object perched precariously upon a wheeled object up a slight incline is essentially Sisyphean; plus one of the dolly's wheels has decided that it isn't beholden to the will of mere Man and decides to pull to the left like a shopping cart, oh for God's sake. It takes about four adjustments, getting caught on the auditorium seating, dropping the amp on my foot, and nearly tripping a poor Oompa Loompa to get the thing up the ramp, at which point I am mercifully relieved by the Concert Band bass player, who takes the thing and wheels it to the gym on the condition I get the doors for him.
5:45ish: Slightly dissonant rehearsals.
6:30: There are low murmurs coming from the audience before everything starts; they subside when Superintendent Patricia Deboer opens ceremonies, commenting on the temperature outside, thanking everyone for coming; the usual affair, and etc. She introduces the music teachers individually, all of whom get raucous and much deserved cheers. The show opens with Dan Reilly, Willy Wonka 50% of the time, opens singing 'Pure Imagination', from the aforementioned spring production, with MMHS Chorus teacher Liesel Keller playing piano (fun fact: Keller from what I've seen has a near supernatural ability to turn pages of music whilst playing piano without even stuttering musically; I don't think I've seen anyone else who can do that that seamlessly, but then again I don't often observe page-turning). Celia Krefter, Willy Wonka the Other 50% of the time, then joins in for 'The Golden Age of Chocolate' and the two Wonkas are then joined by dancing Oompa Loompas on behalf of the Quashnet School (they aren't in costume or orange, tragically).
Immediately following the Chocolate-based Opening Ceremonies, the Quashnet choral groups perform, followed by the string ensemble from the same school; the Quashnet bands then play together, conducted by Quashnet music teacher Ms. Hill and another representative of the Quashnet School Music Dept. They're now playing “I've Been Working on the Railroad,” complete with onomatopoeic ch ch ch ch CHOO CHOO's.
The gym is brightly lit, almost painfully so, and is sort of weird (not bad, just weird) acoustically, at least for concert music, but the gym was the only available space to fit several hundred armed-with-violins children. The audience is situated on two sets of bleachers, one set on the northern wall facing the bands' fronts, the other on the opposite wall facing their/our backs. Half of the south bleachers are occupied by chorus groups. Another note: the Administration plus some teachers are now lining the exits like government agents or something; slightly off putting. My slightly-off-put mood is assuaged somewhat when the Middle School Concert Band plays the titular march (composed by Elmer Bernstein) from the 1963 WWII film “The Great Escape” starring (sing it now) Steve McQueen. The percussion sounds good, but up close is moderately threatening. High School Band, Jazz Band, Middle School Jazz Band, and Strings teacher Andy Troyanos gets on the mic and thanks everyone for coming. Keller then introduces the Middle School Chorus, performing a song called “May it Be”; she is again on keys.
All the bands are decked out in white and black with the exception of the HS Jazz Band, dressed in all black.
The Middle School Jazz Band plays “Cold Sweat” by James Brown (close to the composition's 50th anniversary, fact fans). Middle Schooler Morgan Peters is on drums and his father (one of the teachers of the MSJB and introduced rather enigmatically as only Mr. Peters) is on vocals. The two are clearly the stars of the piece, which is easily the highlight of the night. Mr. Troyanos was on guitar and was, as he would say, “burning up the frets” for this piece. He and bass player David McKelvey are also standouts. There are four solos during the piece (at least that I heard; I was only about ten feet away from the percussion section), all of which were phenomenal: a trumpet solo, a sax solo, a keyboard solo (I say solo; there are two players playing one keyboard in tandem, which was fun to watch); finally came Morgan Peters's drum solo. Cheers erupted for him everywhere in the immediate area, the audience, and the other bands. He gets out of his seat and circles the set, playing all the while, a man possessed, I'm pretty sure. Frankly incredible. The roof has been blown off and is not replaced until the chamber choirs perform (that's not a criticism, the piece were just somber/low-key, which as far as I know chamber choir pieces are supposed to be).
Immediately following the piece, Morgan has a sort of fan club circling him as he moves towards the exit, shaking people's hands, accepting thanks, what have you. I went to compliment Morgan on his solo after the piece and went to shake his hand, but he went for that clasp-hands-like-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-and-Carl-Weathers-in-Predator-and-go-in-and-pat-your-back thing; I'm both confused and caucasian. I've made that mistake before but never in front of an audience of hundreds of people.
Chamber Choir performs now; Keller again on keys.
Concert band plays a piece called “Royal Celebration,” which was immensely enjoyable.
The High School Chamber Choir goes next, and they're very good; Keller's really got a monopoly on tonight's piano playing. The 7th-11th grades String Ensemble plays a song in I want to say G Minor, though don't quote me on that one.
Keller announces the HS a capella band the Mashcapellas. The performance itself is really good (though the less I say about my thoughts on the name the better). They perform a doo-wop song titled 'I Didn't Catch the Name, Someone was Talking in my Ear.' There are a lot of Shooby Doo Wops. It's “Life Could Be a Dream,” I think I recognize it. I listen to a lot of doo-wop, about which don't ask.
After a bit of a false start (my fault, sorry) the HS Jazz Band plays an arrangement of Stevie Wonder's “I Wish.” Yours truly plays a somewhat taxing bass guitar line throughout (the musculature of both my hands have yet to forgive me); the piece is arranged by Mike Tomaro, and if you've never heard of him, he's hit the big time as far as arrangements for High School Jazz Band pieces is concerned, believe you me. Senior Sarah George takes a solo on Baritone Sax; Sophomore Elise Carroll takes a Trombone solo.
The finale is every single group playing a set of frankly bangin' Hebrew Spirituals. Austin Gray, senior and keyboard player for the Jazz Band said of the concert: "Damn, that was poppin'." During the finale, I can swear I saw members that are in both Band and Chorus sprint from one end to the other to fulfill their latter role, but maybe I just imagined that; there were jokes about it earlier, which may have fueled a possible fever dream on my part. Right as the finale closes, in the short pause between end of piece and audience applause, a stroller-bound child screams 'YEAAAHHHHHHH.' Us too, buddy.
As we all walk out, the trumpet section stays in place and plays “Tequila.” One of them, I'm pretty sure, is actually slightly further away from the rest and playing the Jurassic Park theme song.
All in all, I think the whole thing was fantastic, but I was part of the whole thing. I have no complaints or regrets besides a spilled bag of Honey Nut Cheerios, the fact that Subway does not deliver, a stolen house key (the owner of which never took back until the next day, strangely), and the fact that Dayquil stops any and all efficacy just short of allowing you to power through a head cold long enough for you to both help set-up for and perform in a concert and report on the whole ball of wax for a school newspaper.